Hot Topic: There are differences

Editor::

In his April 18 Guest Comment, captioned “What would Abe do?,” Don Severe asks, “So, how is President Bush different from President Lincoln?”

His answer indicates that he sees no basic difference. Abe would do what George is doing.

I tried to empathize with that point of view by mentally transposing the presidents, but then I wondered how a reality-based president like Abraham Lincoln could put up with Vice President Cheney, and how long a president with a conscience could stand Karl Rove, and the whole thing fell apart when I imagined President Bush to be back in 1862, all dressed up in a black stove pipe hat and tails, trying to pass himself off as “Honest George.”

President Lincoln had a reputation for honesty. President Bush does not.

“Honest Abe” had honest values, which have disappeared from today’s White House.

President Lincoln was content to govern.

President Bush wants to rule.

“War President” Lincoln won the Civil War (which he didn’t start), and preserved the Union.

“War President” Bush lost the Iraq war (which he insisted on starting), wasted over 400 billion dollars; broke his military, sacrificed thousands of his troops, and now wants to blame it all on anyone but himself.

For President Lincoln, the code of the day was the “Old” morality, based on doing the right thing.

For President Bush, the code of the day is the “New” morality, based on doing what you can get away with.

That’s the real key to understanding the difference between the two presidents. When you know a president’s moral values, you know the president.

Joe Anderson, Green Valley